The pegu club on pyay road and zagawar street was originally established in 1882 by the british. Legendary mixologist harry craddock wrote in his famous 1930 savoy cocktail book that the pegu club cocktail has traveled and been asked for. But one member, speaking for most, cannot conceal his revulsion at the fact that natives are getting into all the clubs nowadays. A captivating gin sour, you can think of the pegu club cocktail as gins answer to the daiquiri and margarita. You made it this far because youre interested in the pegu club cocktail. After being popularized in burma now myanmar, the pegu clubs reputation spread far. Jul 20, 2015 whatever the pegu club and its cocktails history, its future is most telling. The pegu club also appears in harry craddocks seminal 1930 the savoy cocktail book where he notes, the favourite cocktail at the pegu club, burma, and one. We recently looked at the royal bermuda yacht club cocktail and this libation has a similar history. Aug 26, 2019 this was the house cocktail in the 1920s at burmas pegu club, a gentlemans establishment for british army officers and government officials. It dates back to the early 20th century, first mentioned in the 1930 savoy cocktail book, in which harry craddock credits the drink to the pegu. Heritage landmark the pegu club yangon was originally established in 1882 and has since become an iconic building of historical meaning in myanmar. Whatever the pegu club and its cocktail s history, its future is most telling.
The pegu club was the favourite hangout of prewar british colonialists in what was then burma and is now myanmar. As master mixologist harry craddock observed in 1930, the pegu club cocktail has travelled, and is asked for, around the world. The recipe appears in the savoy cocktail book of 1930 by harry craddock as the pegu club cocktail, and the 1930 edition of cocktails by jimmy late of ciros london as pegu club. Oct 30, 2007 like all of its ilk, the pegu club had a bar, and like all such bars, this one had its house cocktail. Shake all the ingredients with ice, then strain into a chilled glass. Were not sure precisely when it was invented, but it had to be. The recipe appears in the savoy cocktail book of 1930 by harry craddock as the pegu club cocktail, and the 1930 edition of cocktails by. See the ingredients, how to make it, view instrucitonal videos, and even email or text it.
The pegu clubs bartenders produced a truly fantastic cocktail that has stood the test of time. The classic pegu club cocktail tastes extra delicious with this fantastic gin. A bar crawl through the craft cocktail revival most of the bars that kicked off the nyc cocktail revival are still as relevant as ever. The cocktail was first mentioned in harry craddocks 1930 savoy cocktail book, but it dates back to the 1920s, when it was first made in myanmar, in the eponymous pegu club. The cocktail became popular in the 1930s when it was featured in the savoy cocktail book. At the pegu club, a prestigious social club built in the 1880s in what was then rangoon, burma now yangon, myanmar, the signature drink was the pegu club cocktail. Whether it becomes a bar, hotel, museum, restaurant, or remains an empty shell, it will be a marker of myanmars. This was the house cocktail in the 1920s at burmas pegu club, a gentlemans establishment for british army officers and government officials. Pegu club fittyfitty martini audrey sanders created one of the most famous iterations of the equal parts martini at pegu club. No real rocket surgery here, but its still a great drink, its blue and it rhymes. A cocktail that originated in a british officers club in. Pegu club new york city 2020 all you need to know before. Unfortunately many of the classic cocktails just didnt work with the savory sour, spicy, herbal, umami, bitter, smoky, rich, strong premise of the book.
Famous for its craft cocktails, we were very pleased with our choices. Well take a quick look at the history of the pegu club, its namesake cocktail, and learn how to make one in your own bar. The pegu club cocktail is an alcoholic mixed beverage based on gin created at the pegu club from burma. Maybe you first heard rumors of it from harry craddocks the savoy cocktail book. The pegu club, named for the nearby pegu river, made its way around the world with brits and foreigners alike in the. As far as we know, the pegu club cocktail was invented sometime during the 1920, and harry macelhones book, barflies and cocktails, mentions the recipe in the 1927 edition. Cocktail detour for the love of cocktail, travel and exquisite barware. A bar crawl through the craft cocktail revival punch. A delicious cocktail recipe for the pegu club cocktail with lime juice, gin, angostura bitter and orange liqueur. The british empire has had a lot of influence across history, least of all in the drinking cultures of the world both past, present, and future. In this sense, the original recipe of the pegu club is a perfect representation of both british and burmese cultures, combining the most popular alcoholic drink at the time, gin, with the exotic flavors of this asian country. Imagine the great victorian storyteller rudyard kipling on his visit to the pegu club in 1889, sipping the signature drink as he writes his famous lines. According to harry craddocks savoy cocktail club of 1930, people traveled the world round asking for this drink.
Jimmy may have been jimmy charters, bartender of the dingo bar in paris and ciros in monte carlo. Harrington had made a pegu club cocktail for another. Meehans bartender manual by jim meehan, hardcover barnes. See the ingredients, how to make it, view instrucitonal videos, and even email or text it to you phone. This may be the only bad cocktail in the savoy cocktail book, mr. Maybe you first heard rumors of it from harry craddock s the savoy cocktail book. This drink was created at the pegu club in rangoon, burma, probably in the 1920s. The composition of this version of pegu club cocktail seems very interesting. A beautiful city with friendly people and a lot of culture and history.
The pegu club, located in yangon, myanmar, found itself at the center of british social life in 1920s. One such classic cocktail i particularly enjoyed was the pegu club cocktail. Pegu club drink recipe how to make the perfect pegu club. Kipling is gone, and the club has vanished along with the british, but the pegu club cocktail is still the drink of goodfellowship. Unlike the muthaiga country club and the ootacamund club, though, the pegu club managed to. The cocktail went viral and even inspired a new pegu club in new york. In this book, he shares his story and what hes learned since helping audrey saunders open pegu club in 2005. Awardwinning writer robert simonson interviewed more than 200 key players from. Newsweek, 111411 fascinatingparsons offers techniques for making bitters at home as well as a great collection of unique cocktail recipes. The pegu club was surprise, surprise its house cocktail. Ciros opened on orange street as a private club in 1915, and was famous as one of the first london venues to host an allblack band. As master mixologist harry craddock wrote in the classic 1930 savoy cocktail book, the pegu club cocktail has traveled, and is asked for, around the world.
The club was named after the pegu, a burmese river. In yangon, the pegu club cocktail is available in the strand hotel, the governors residence, and as of 2018, at the original pegu club. Time went on and this very dry tipple found its way into harrys new york bar and eventually, the owner harry mcelhone published the. Wonderful recipe for the pegu submitted by wasabijazz on wed, 01232019 12. The pegu club cocktail originated the pegu club in rangoon, the capital of myanmar or burma, which was formerly part of the british empire. Great cocktail recipes, drinks, travel and vintage barware. This book offers the pegu club cocktail and a white lady. The prominent myanmar cocktail is the signature drink of the club and is now known around the world. It fell from popularity sometime around wwii, but its complex flavors and refreshing taste are well suited to todays cocktail enthusiasts. Small wonderits a perfect indicator of the drinking culture of those randy times. Harry mcelhone, of the american bar in paris, included it in his cocktails and barflies and the savoy cocktail book featured it as well. It survived, outliving its namesake, because it is certainly one of the great cocktail inventions, a delightful and summery gin sour. Robert simonson and daniel krieger go on a tour of the bars and drinks that started it all. The pegu club cocktail dates back to the late 1800s.
It dates back to the early 20th century, first mentioned in the 1930 savoy cocktail book, in which harry craddock credits the drink to the pegu club in burma myanmar today. Theres one other early book that has the pegu club cocktail in it, and it presents a rather different version of the drink from either of these. While the pegu club as a cocktail has all but disappeared from memory in presentday myanmar, the drink ventured far and wide. Oct 03, 2019 14 cocktail books to improve your bartending skills. In the book, set in the fictional town of kyauktada, the local club members are petitioned by the club secretary to become more flexible in this regard. A narrative history of the craft cocktail renaissance, written by a new york times cocktail writer and one of the foremost experts on the subject. A cocktail renaissance has swept across the country, inspiring in bartenders and their thirsty patrons a new fascination with the ingredients, techniques, and traditions that make the american cocktail so special. May, 2015 making this drink more interesting than simply a sweet and sour, boozy kick in the ass. The cocktail faded into obscurity only to be revived during the heady early years of the vintage cocktail revival of the aughts. Featured in his new book the martini cocktail, robert simonson explains, for orange bitters, she used a house mix of regans and fee brothersthe only orange bitters brands widely available.
A proper drink is the firstever book to tell the full, unflinching story of the contemporary craft cocktail revival. The pegu club is delicious 1920s cocktail that was first crafted in the club of the same name. Harry mcelhone, of the american bar in paris, included it in his cocktails and barflies and the. Over eight chapters, meehan starts with cocktail history and then moves onto chapters covering bar design, tools, techniques and hospitality, along the way including tips from more than fifty of some of the bestknown names in the bar. Inspired by dougs pegu blog, this weeks drink of the week is a classic that has gained some momentum in recent years. Next recipe of pegu cocktail was found on cocktaildb too.
Tats the puzzling little volume called cocktails, by jimmy late of ciros ciros was the chic london nightclub where mcelhone had been head bartender before he went to paris. The pegu club eventually found its way into harrys new york bar owner harry macelhones. Jim meehan is a renowned bartender and author of the pdt cocktail book. It was opened as a haven for wayward explorers in a. The cocktail appears in the 1923 harry of ciros abc of mixing cocktails with the following recipe 1 dash of angostura bitters, 1 dash of orange bitters, 1 teaspoon lime juice roses, 16 curacao orange 23 gin which transposes.
Oct 04, 2018 the pegu club was a boys club located in rangoon, burma now known as yangon, myanmar was the center of british social life during the 1920s. Cocktails for the history books the new york times. Official mixers manual by patrick gavin duffy 1934. He worked at some of new york citys most revered restaurants and bars, including gramercy tavern and pegu club, before opening the james beard awardwinning bar pdt in 2007. The pegu club, named for the nearby pegu river, made its way around the world with brits and foreigners alike in the early 20th century. The pegu club or the pegu is a ginbased cocktail that was the signature drink of burmas pegu club.
The pegu club cocktail named after the pegu club, the drink is a classic ginbased cocktail that originated at the club. The club was located just outside rangoon, and its members were those britons who were senior government and military officials and prominent businessmen. How the pegu club connects contemporary cocktail culture with. The savoy cocktail book where he notes, the favourite cocktail at the pegu club. Log in or sign up to start building your cocktail book.
The pegu club is a tart, mouthwatering gin based cocktail that offers a. Created in the 1920s at the pegu club, an expat gentlemens club in british colonial rangoon, burma. It gained fame in 1930, after it earned an entry in the savoy cocktail book. In new york city, a bar named pegu club serves the cocktail. Named after a victorian era gentlemens club in rangoon, burma now yangon, myanmar. Brad thomas parsons tracks the bitters boom in his new book bitters, and manages to elevate herbs to an art form. He would make them for patrons regularly at the savoy. On the road to mandalay, where the flyin fishes play. Its members, citizens of a bygone political era, knew the city as rangoon, burma, and this drink was their house cocktail. Pegu club was the first new york craft cocktail bar to get the royal treatment from the media. The pegu club cocktail originated at the pegu club naturally in myanmar burma. Pegu club cocktail was first introduced in the 1920s. The pegu club s tasty tipple is back where it belongs, as the highlight of a historic club brought back to life in modern times. Despite the burden of colonial history, the clubs iconic cocktail is light and.
Over the years, the club remained an intimate part of yangons history and went on to inspire worldfamous novels and cocktails. It originated at its namesake hangout, the pegu club, a social establishment for british officers near the gulf of martaban in burma. However the real reason i like the pegu club cocktail is that its a cocktail with a romantic, oldworld history attached. Ill guarantee you that the pegu club cocktail did not survive because of white suits and atmospherics. The club was built in the 1880s as a victorianstyled gentlemans club to serve the british colonials of the day. The 15 most influential bartenders of the last century. How the pegu club connects contemporary cocktail culture. The clubs signature drink was famous enough to earn a spot in craddocks savoy cocktail book in the 1920s but is probably best known as the namesake for arguably the most important surviving bar of the mixology movement. From myanmar to manhattan, the legend of the pegu club cocktail. The pegu club or the pegu is a ginbased cocktail that was the signature drink of burmas pegu. May 14, 2012 cocktails for the history books, not the bar.
The pegu club is the kind of cocktail im typically drawn too. When it opened its doors in soho in 2005, it received the kind of coverage and early scrutiny usually reserved for new restaurants. It dates back to the early 20th century,first mentioned in the 1930 savoy cocktail book, in which harry craddock credits the drink to the pegu club in burma myanmar today. Almost hard to find because of the very low key entrance only to be transported up stairs to a special hidden gem.
An exact replica of the pegu club cocktail but with blue curacao instead of orange. And few ingredients have as rich a history or serve as fundamental a role in our. It is recommended to prepare and drink the cocktail on a hot summer day. This gin drink was invented in a british social club in burma. Unknown, somewhere around 1927 in the pegu club in rangoon, burma. Gone are the days when a lonely bottle of angostura bitters held court behind the bar. Wondrich laid into the bath cure, the house drink at chicagos famous pump.
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